Are the effects of alcohol on the Aspie brain the same as...

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But you have to not strongly object to the taste to be able to enjoy alcohol. For me, trying to drink alcohol is like trying to eat moldy rotting food.



No, because your brain's chemistry is extremely unique.

Alcohol acts on your brain because it's an ineffective kind of sugar. It gets used like sugar, but doesn't give as much energy, making your brain starved for energy, and therefore less active.

However, individual variations in the brain's activity and function will interact with alcohol. An activity that your brain has to work harder on will be more affected. For example, if you had early dysfunction in the speech centers, and managed to cobble together speech abilities by recruiting a bunch of your brain that normally doesn't handle speech, you might be more likely to lose speech skills while drunk.

Incidentally, people report improved function while drunk for the same reasons as people report improved function after a prefrontal lobotomy. It could be either a) your inhibitions were getting in your way, or b) you're overestimating your skills because the frontal lobes are important for accurate self-perception.

Also, if everyone around you is getting drunk too, they may be less likely to notice poor social skills.

If I can I 'dilute' the vodka or whatnot, and prefer tastier beverages/cocktails But people drink ALCOHOL to get drunk. People wouldn't make these creative cocktails if it was not to mask the ALCOHOL - which gets people DRUNK.

Of course people prefer drinking something they enjoy the taste of vs. not. And yes, they'd still make them. It's about finding a flavour combination you like, or just trying new ones for the sake of trying something different. People savour all kinds of alcoholic drinks, and they never describe the flavour as "this one really masks the taste of alcohol well!" And not everyone drinks to get drunk. Believe it or not, there are many responsible drinkers who only have A drink or two just to enjoy them and their mildly intoxicating effects vs. drinking to excess to get drunk. Having been a bartender for about 5 years, I know what I'm talking about.

I enjoy wine but if I have too much I say bizarre things and my quirky side starts to leak out . Afterwards I regret everything I said and feel I've given too much of myself away.

I had a problem with the taste and smell when I was younger. Couldn't find a drink I enjoyed as I got older I started to like red wine and pretty much stick to it.

I have a hard time finding alcohol that I like. Often I will try a sip of a friend's alcohol, and then make a really funny face because it tastes so bad to me. I've only been able to drink alcohol that is really sweet, and I've never had very much at once, but from the little I have had, it seems to make me sleepy and more introverted than I already am. Perhaps if I had more, it would be different, but I'm not really inclined to try.

My experience with alcohol is very similar--instant nausea, followed by a headache. And no, I really don't like the taste all that much.

Exceptions: a small amount of beer (over several hours) and I tried a mead once or twice--that was pretty good. Again, I can't have very much, and must sip it SLOWLY.

I don't get this either. I don't like losing control of my faculties.

I've noticed I kind of go on a long, often poltical, rant when I am drunk....which for me is halfway between being buzzed and laying on the floor. I have never been know to drink until that point though. I have a very limited tolerance for alcohol and usually don't last beyond like three hard liquor drinks. I do get a lot more social (and neurotypical) when I drink. I must admit I often have a bent for escapism, so, I do wonder if that love of escapism is something that contributes to alcohol and drug abuse among the ASD community.

I don't know if I act differently when I drink, but all I *do* know is that I care less what other people think.

on the contray i drink alchol because i love the taste of beer as well as the feeling of it =D

It really depends on the person. I know a lot of NTs whom act very extrovert, but I also know a lot of NTs who act extremely introverted as well. Alcohol first of all affects everyone the same way, it doesn't discriminate on someone's race, sex, sexual orientation, and neurological differences, but speaking from my experience (I don't remember this but there is pictures of it) when I'm drunk I am extremely extroverted.

I've only been drunk once, but when I'm tipsy, alcohol is like a sedative. I become relaxed, get even more quiet and I prefer to just sit still and enjoy not feeling high strung. Maybe play Solitaire. It can also neutralise the pain a little in times of grief.

I have no doubt that's true for most people, but I only drink beverages I like the taste of.

I write this as someone who is hungover from drinking a bottle of wine to myself at home last night. 1-2 drinks and I get a little sociable and chatty, after that and I become very introverted and quite depressed.

I am probably someone who shouldn't drink at all but can't seem to fight it off. It just makes me feel like someone else, someone less of a loser. Got wasted on my own last week and promised myself I would stop now. made it to day 5 and fell off the wagon.

I assume so. I don't see why not. I might behave in a different way than an NT would as a result of the lowered inhibition, but the effect on my brain should be identical.

Anyway, from the list:

Impaired Judgment : yes.
Promiscuity : not applicable
Loss of Friends : not applicable
Regret : only when I have a bad hangover or get sick
Embarrassment : no
Ease of Tension : yes

I should note that I don't drink very often because I don't like how being drunk feels. One or two glasses of wine or beer is my limit.

It may not be necessarily about NT or aspie in terms of handling alcohol. It think it may have more to do with race and genetics. Races where alcohol has been around for a long time, and drinking is part of the culture, tend to produce people who can handle their drink and enjoy it better. Celts, germanics, nords, slavs, poles, brits, aussies, greeks, italians, koreans, and japanese love to drink, and deeply incorporate it into their culture. Therefore those people can handle it better, aspie or NT.

Jews (like me, for example) cannot drink to excess like the peoples listed above. We lack a certain alcohol dehydrogenase gene that allows us to break down alcohol. Drinking is not a big part of our culture. Only my christian friends' parents drank and smoked cigarettes growing up. None of the jewish parents did - just didn't like it. Other african, asian, and middle eastern peoples have the same problem, simply because alcohol is not a smart choice in the desert, so for thousands of years it was either not consumed, or consumed in small amounts for ceremonial purposes. Hashish and opium are more suited for those climates.

I've tried to get into drinking and smoking cigarettes myself, so I could be more like the NTs, but it just ended up making me sick. Also, the main euphoric effects of alcohol for me last 5-10 minutes max, and diminish exponentially with each successive drink, to the point where I can take a shot of 45% vodka and it will do nothing. If I take another, it does nothing. If I take another, I'm sick for 24 hours. There is no "drunk all night" feeling for me.

I have never "lost control and done something I regret" on alcohol. Neither have any of my friends. That is just something people say to save face, when they're ashamed of doing something they wanted to do anyways, but don't want to admit it.

I prefer clonazepam. Tickles my GABA receptors without robbing me of protein and electrolytes.

when I drink im still the same asocial aspie but I feel less intimidated by holding conversations with people/meeting new people and hearing loud/intrusive noises. I also find it easier to spread my focus to a few things at once (people, conversation, spatial awareness, self awareness, etc) because the rest of the stimuli is easier to blur out. "tunnel vision" is a phrase NTs use to describe a similar but much more superficial version of this.
downsides are that I'm still not immune to stressors and if I'm in a bad place I am much more likely to hurt myself physically to deal with the mental anguish. and because I can seem more socially attuned when I've had alcohol, it would be easy for me to begin abusing it for obligatory social purposes. I also don't particularly like forgetting things that have happened..it makes me feel more vulnerable.